Caught a thief on video but can I improve the DVD quality?

[Rodslinger]

I’m hoping to get some ideas on enhancing video quality. Long story short, I installed an outdoor security camera system around my home after an attempted break in. The other day my neighbor’s house was broken into. Unbeknownst to the burglar my neighbor was home at the time and she scared him away. He ran out the front door through my yard and around my house and my cameras captured him. The police have reviewed my recording and have asked for a copy but I’d like to enhance the quality of it because it’s just not quite sharp enough to take a snapshot that the police can use to look for him. I copied it from my DVR directly to my DVD recorder and I’ve taken snap shots but I need to be able to either enhance the video itself or the snapshots. Anyone have any ideas or am I out of luck? This kid has been terrorizing our neighborhood with MULTIPLE break ins, all within a two block radius so I’m really trying everything I can to catch him. Thank you!
Here are some snap shots off the DVD so you can see what I'm working with;
http://www2.propichosting.com/Images/501571/47.BMP
http://www2.propichosting.com/Images/501571/46.BMP
http://www2.propichosting.com/Images/501571/45.BMP

[Sillyname]

Make a copy for you. Give the police the original. They have better enhancing stuf. Don't tamper with the evidence, if you know what I mean?

[gadgetguy]

I don't understand. Did the police ask you to enhance the video? It would seem that they would have access to better resources to be able to determine if the video will be usable for them. Just let them have a copy and let them do their job.

[BrainStorm69]

That looks better than alot of surveillance camera video the police have to work with, at least based on some of the stuff I've seen them show on the news asking people who may recognize the thief to call the police and help identify the perpetrator. Probably because is was filmed in daylight.

Agree with the others. Make a copy for yourself to play with and give the police the original to work with. There's probably not much that can be done to make it much better anyway.

[redwudz]

I've been in a similar situation working with our DA's office and Sheriff's Department with with one of our surveillance videos. They just have a cheap USB video converter here locally. I took the video and capped some stills and used Photoshop to enhance them and got much better results than they could have. (And a successful prosecution. )

Some police departments don't have access to high quality equipment or software. Of course give them the original tape, but if you can enhance some stills, do it. Also include a print of the same still unenhanced. Make sure your color balance is right by comparing something in the background.

For enhancing the video, you could try VirtualDub. It has a lot of filters available. For stills some version of Photoshop or similar with filters.

I doubt you will end up with anything clear, but if something like a tattoo or ring or jewelery or even type of tennis shoes show, those might be your best bet. It does help to have a still photo for the police to show to neighbors for a possible ID.

[edDV]

I installed an outdoor security camera system around my home after an attempted break in.

Have you contacted the manufacturer and/or installer of the camera system?
They will have the knowledge of the system capability and know what the experts can achieve and who the experts are.

[ZAPPER]

I just did some work in a mall security office and from what I could make of the conversation that I had with the tech revamping the system there, was that they are actually going back to an analog system just because of this same problem. From what I understood the digital stuff didn't zoom as well as the analog after the fact. They have some pretty serious stuff there. They can zoom to a full face shot in what I would guess to be over 300' plus the hight of the camera mounting on the building. The problem is that a wide shot can't be zoomed to well after the fact or enhanced in editing to well.

I feel for you dude, I hope they catch the guy. But maybe you should have installed a couple of Rottwiellers (SP)

I also know of a few others in the same boat as you. And I am gonna go Ape crazy if I ever get robbed myself.

[Rodslinger]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. The police asked me if I could put it on DVD for them and I did. They also asked that I remove the drive and lock it up to ensure nothing happens to the original, so I did just that. I'll be giving them the DVD today, I just wanted to see if I could enhance the DVD myself but since it seems hopeless I'll just let them take it from here. I tried Photoshop with the stills and would get SO close it seems, I just couldn't pull out his face completely.
Once again thank you all for the help and if you have any other ideas I'd love to hear them.
Oh and I got a dog after he attempted to break into my house......well sort of......I downloaded one from Google. Now my server barks all day long.

[guns1inger]

Give it to Grissom. He will have an 8 x 10 glossy of the culprit in 28.5 seconds and 15 key strokes. I seen it on the telly.

[liquid217]

You might be able to use refocus or refocus-it, which are both filters for GIMP. Both are basically deconvolution filters
http://refocus-it.sourceforge.net/
http://refocus.sourceforge.net/

there is a virtualdub filter based on one of these around, but it is incredably slow.

Blind deconvolution looks very impressive, but I haven't found any filters based on it yet/
http://math.nist.gov/mcsd/highlights/blinddeconvolution.html

[lordsmurf]

Use this Photoshop plug-in to upsize:
http://www.ononesoftware.com/detail.php?prodLine_id=2

[hech54]

He has no shoes on?

[jagabo]

Use this Photoshop plug-in to upsize:
http://www.ononesoftware.com/detail.php?prodLine_id=2

LOL. Does anyone actually beleive they turned this:



in to this:



http://www.ononesoftware.com/images/products/details/gf_collage_waterski.jpg

[ozymango]

LOL. Does anyone actually beleive they turned this ...

Sure -- they just didn't mention that the original image was 4600x3200 and they just cropped it.

[Supreme2k]

I downloaded the filter and sample photo, then applied it.

I have to say that I am completely convinced that this product does all they say and more. Just check out these results:

original


5x7 resize with Genuine Fractals

[Noahtuck]

Use this Photoshop plug-in to upsize:
http://www.ononesoftware.com/detail.php?prodLine_id=2

LOL. Does anyone actually beleive they turned this:



in to this:



http://www.ononesoftware.com/images/products/details/gf_collage_waterski.jpg

When Pig's Fly!!!!!!!!!!!
Wait.... what was that ?? that just flew by my window!!!!!!


And why mess around and play games with "Genuine Fractals 4.1 - Full" for $159.95 when you can get "Genuine Fractals Print Pro - Full" for $299.95 & do a better job than CSI & CTU 8)
Everybit of security camera footage would be crystal clear!!!!!